Last week, the IAB held its second annual Long Tail Alliance Fly-In in Washington, DC. CPX’s CEO Mike Seiman, and VP of Publisher Development, Mike Zacharski, joined other IAB member supporters, and 46 small publishers, to tell their elected officials about the importance of Internet advertising to small business growth. The publishers represented 14 states, and spent a day on Capitol Hill meeting with members of the House and the Senate to discuss how the privacy legislation proposed by Rep. Rick Boucher would negatively impact them.

According to MediaPost, the bill “would require companies that track users across the Web to notify them and either obtain their consent — though opt-out consent would be okay if the companies allowed consumers to view and access their profiles. The bill also would require opt-in consent before sites collect or disclose sensitive information, defined as medical records, race or ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, financial records and precise geolocation information.”  The Fly-In attendees split into groups and spoke with members of Congress about issues that concern them, such as why they believe cookies are beneficial, and the importance of the fact that IP addresses are non-personally identifiable pieces of information.  This video shows more about the positive impact of cookies on a user’s online experience.

In addition, a new study issued by the IAB on June 10 found that interactive advertising is responsible for $300 billion of economic activity in the U.S.–or 2.1 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP). Plus, over three million people are employed in the U.S. thanks in part to the online ad business, including 1.2 million with high-paying jobs that did not exist two decades ago, says the study.

“The results of this study confirm the vast influence and driving importance of the ad-supported Internet to the overall economy,” said Randall Rothenberg, IAB president and CEO. “By understanding the total contribution of the Internet to the U.S. economy, we can more accurately assess the impact of potential legislative changes on the Internet’s operations, particularly the consequences of any actions that would alter ad-supported business models.”

When they were not meeting with legislators, the Long Tail members attended training sessions, strategic planning panels and roundtable discussions created specifically to address the business interests of small publishers. Mike Seiman joined Jarvis Coffin of Burst Media, and Scott Portugal of TRAFFIQ/MMi to answer the publishers questions about ad networks.

Mike was grateful for the opportunity to participate in this event, and enjoyed speaking to members of Congress. Read about his experience here on his personal blog.

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The benefits of targeting are clear, for both advertisers and publishers. As seen below, more than 60% of agencies were able to increase their clients’ online display ad spending budget as a result of audience targeting.

Publishers benefit from higher CPMs, better performance, and more, as seen in this chart:

Agencies, advertisers and publishers are all concerned about the looming possibility of targeting-related legislation. eMarketer found that the majority of advertisers and publishers, and about one-half of agencies, believe the most effective way to protect consumer privacy is through industry self-regulation. However, many of these advertisers and publishers were unfamiliar with the self-regulatory initiatives already begun by the IAB. Although they know what is at risk if the government takes control of regulation, it is clear that some are still hesitant to take the initiative themselves.

For more on targeting and consumer privacy, check out  these posts, and visit the Online with CPX section of our blog. CPX COO & President, Rob Rasko, discussed these issues in video interviews with some of the foremost industry execs at the IAB Leadership Meeting earlier this year.

By Samantha Karol, Senior Marketing Assistant

It’s a busy week for the online advertising industry, and CPX Interactive is taking part in events in Florida and Washington, D.C.

COO & President, Rob Rasko, and EVP of Sales, Gary Bembridge, are attending the iMedia Brand Summit in Miami.  At this Summit, iMedia is asking digital marketers and their brand manager colleagues to pair up and learn together. They have been discussing core business challenges with peers-and publisher and service provider partners, and yesterday, enjoyed a keynote from Mark Snyder, CMO of the Kmart Corporation. CPX is sponsoring today’s lunch, from 12:30-1:45.

While Gary and Rob are in Florida, CPX CEO Mike Seiman, and VP of Publisher Development, Mike Zacharski, are in Washington D.C., lobbying Congress on behalf of small website publishers. They are participating in the IAB Long Tail Alliance Fly-In, a unique opportunity for small publishers from across America to tell their story to Congress. CPX is a major supporter of the Long Tail Alliance, and is proud to be a part of this event.

CPX is a sponsor of IAB Europe’s Interact Congress Barcelona 2010, which takes place June 2^nd-3^rd at Casa Llotja de Mar. Rob Rasko, COO & President of CPX Interactive, will take part in a panel on the second day of the event. The panel will discuss Direct Response vs Online Branding, and will be moderated by Randall Rothenberg, CEO of IAB US. It takes place at 2:00 pm on Thursday the 3rd.

The overarching theme of this year’s Interact Congress is Branding Online: The Time is Now. Panels and keynote addresses will cover topics including opportunities and challenges, creativity and engagement, use of social media, and the role of online in overall strategy. The event concludes with the Mixx Europe Award ceremony, recognizing the best branding campaigns across Europe, as well as the most awarded brand, agency and advertiser.

CPX Interactive would like to invite to you to join the IAB and other online entrepreneurs like yourself in representing small publishers from across the country at the 2010 Long Tail Alliance Washington Fly-In, June 14-15. This event is a great opportunity for long tail tail publishers. During the two-day meeting you will:

• Meet with members of the U.S. Congress and their staffs to tell the story of your small business.
• Learn strategies and best practices for growing your business through workshops designed specifically for the small publisher.
• Be guests of honor at a special networking reception and dinner at the Google offices in Washington, D.C.
• Share your personal experiences on how interactive advertising has impacted your life and sustained your business.

More information plus photos and highlights from last year’s Fly-In can be found at www.iab.net/flyin.

There is no charge to attend the Fly-In. However, you must pay for your own travel and lodging. As a thank-you from the IAB, those who come to Washington will receive a complimentary one-year Long Tail Alliance Membership or a one-year extension to their existing membership.

If you would like to be part of this special event, visit www.iab.net/flyin to register and book your hotel. The IAB has reserved a block of discounted rooms specifically for Fly-In attendees. Or if you want more information, please contact Chris Glushko of the IAB at chris@iab.net or 212-380-4722.

CPX COO, Rob Rasko, talked to Josh Crandall, CEO & Co-Founder of Netpop, a new social advertising and insights platform, at the IAB Leadership Meeting. Crandall explained that the Netpop platform provides brands and publishers the opportunity to structure conversation with their audiences around mutual interest. He looks forward to working with companies who are defining how consumers are interacting with advertising, around products that mean something to them, and working with consumers to change how advertising works for them.

Responding to IAB Chairman, Dave Moore’s, keynote speech encouraging more aggressive advertising, Crandall emphasized the importance of respecting consumers with the data that is included in advertising. He also pointed out that it’s important for consumers to understand their responsibility to participate with advertising and provide their perspective on it. This  opportunity to engage in a dialogue with the consumer is, he says, something that was never possible in traditional media, and should definitely be embraced.

CPX Interactive is a major supporter of the IAB Long Tail Alliance, and we strongly encourage becoming a part of this innovative group.  One of the many benefits of joining the Alliance is the wealth of webinars they offer. Three webinars will be offered in April. Read on to find out more about them, and click here to register:

April 1^st
Noon EST

Title: Audience Measurement and Monetization for Publishers – Beyond Email
Presented by Datran Media

Description: During this IAB webinar, Datran Media Chief Revenue Officer Sean O’Neal will present strategies and guidance for publishers seeking to best leverage email and other digital marketing technologies to drive strategic business growth. The webinar will first familiarize publishers with strategies focused around the inbox.  O’Neal will then discuss complementary channels to ensure publishers are maximizing both their investment and return. Attendees will walk away with knowledge, case based information and immediate actions they can take to advantage their business.

April 15^th
Noon EST

Title: DIY Web Banners: Easy Self Serve Banners to Monetize Your Inventory
Creatives on Tap Presented By Theorem

Description: Learn how to leverage innovations in self serve banner building technology that allows your advertisers to build interactive banners in less than 5 clicks. Monetize your inventory while keeping costs low and driving higher CPM’s.

April 29^th
Noon EST

Title: Marketing Your Site to Maximize Revenue
Presented by Burst Media

Description: The presentation will address items a publisher should do on their own and when working with third parties to truly market the value of their site.  We’ll review best practices for media kits and marketing collateral, how to position their audience to advertisers, what types of new creative executions are getting attention, and how site design can impact monetization.

Rob Rasko, CPX’s COO & President, sat down with Jay Sears, EVP Strategic Products & Biz Dev at ContextWeb, at the IAB Leadership Meeting. Rasko and Sears discussed the concept of “coopetition,” and the growing importance of openness and inter-connectivity.  Sears believes real time decision making has played a major part in encouraging collaboration among industry players.  Attending events like the IAB Leadership Meeting helps people like Sears reconnect with partners and friends and see what’s going on in the industry.

This year, ContextWeb plans to open up the ASDAQ Exchange to more groups, including advertiser direct, agency, publishers as buyers, and small and middle market. They also want to do more with real time bidding, and continue to develop and implement their contextual technology, Sears said.

Rasko and Sears are both taking part in organizing an Ad Networks and Exchanges conference that will take place in New York in May.  They talked about one of the major points of discussion for that event: the future of the ad network. Sears believes that ad networks of the future will serve a variety of different purposes, and that the strongest will be willing and able to cater to the needs of different industry players.

Gary Bembridge, CPX Interactive’s new EVP of Sales, caught up with his former colleague, Moritz Loew, MSNBC’s Senior Director of National Sales, at the IAB Leadership Summit.  The two discussed the value of the event, Loew mentioning the collective brainpower, and the ability to connect with content providers and context providers, as major benefits of attending. Loew also touched on the role of digital in a company’s overall marketing strategy, and MSNBC Interactive’s best practices.

Video courtesy of Scribe Media.

After his keynote speech at the IAB’s Annual Leadership Meeting last week, IAB Chairman Dave Moore took the time to speak with CPX COO & President, Rob Rasko.  Moore talked about the event, his first as chairman, and the great opportunity to network, exchange ideas, compare problems and seek solutions together.  He discussed the issue of self-regulation and the importance of educating legislators about how the Internet works, stressing that, especially in an economy that is still recovering, the last thing the industry needs is legislation that hurts business.

In addition to serving as Chairman for the IAB, Moore is also Chairman and Founder of 24/7 Real Media.  When asked how 24/7 plans to affect the market in 2010, Moore referred back to a prediction he made in his keynote: that demand side platforms would become a service to every major agency. He discussed 24/7’s position as the inventors of the first demand side platform, known as B3, before the term was even coined, and the growth that platform has already experienced. This year, they plan on continuing to play a major role in driving the WPP digital strategy.

Rasko asked Moore to weigh in on the importance of service versus technology, and he explained that the two are intertwined: technology drives the effectiveness of a product.  He also talked about integrating technologies and making them available on a seamless basis with the goal of being able to target as well, if not better, than anybody else in the industry.  Moore believes that this integration and seamlessness would also be extremely helpful in dealing with different types of ad formats. In terms of more intrusive ad formats, which continue to become more prevalent, Moore feels that consumers will become comfortable with them over time. He likens their initial dislike to the first time radio and television programs were interrupted by advertisements, and stresses that although it will be an adjustment, consumers will learn that they have to accept it if they want to continue to get content as inexpensively as they have been getting it in the past.

Touching on a couple of the things IAB President, Randall Rothenberg, talked about in his interview with Rasko, Moore discusses the Networks and Exchanges Committee and the issue of free versus premium content. He explains that the major objective of committee’s recently established guidelines is to give advertisers additional comfort and insurance that their ad is going to be run in the right type of environment for their product.  When it comes to pay walls, Moore supports premium content, and believes that providers need to find other ways to generate revenue outside of advertising. Destination sites, he says, need to figure out new and different ways to syndicate their content so they can reach greater audiences.

Overall, Moore is looking forward to the future. He calls this the beginning of the ‘Golden Age of Internet Advertising,’ and is very excited to be a part of it.